Share This Post:
The Top DC Area Employers
Have you ever wondered about the top DC area employers — other than the federal government, of course? Since DC is such a “company town,” people don’t always hear about the other places to work around the metropolitan area. The federal government employs about 420,000 people in the Washington, DC area (the remaining 79 percent of its two million workers live outside the DC area). The six largest government employers (overall) are the Department of Defense (23,000 at the Pentagon alone), the United States Postal Service, the Veterans Administration, the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Justice. Keep in mind, these lists do not reflect Nestle’s summer 2018 arrival in Rosslyn or Amazon’s HQ2 coming to Crystal City. Below are the 15 DC-area companies found on Fortune Magazine’s 2018 list of the 500 largest U.S. companies (in terms of revenue).Northern Virginia
- No. 38, Freddie Mac, $74.7 billion
- No. 99, General Dynamics, $31 billion
- No. 101, Capital One Financial, $30 billion
- No 118, Northrop Grumman, $25.8 billion
- No. 214, AES Corp, $12.9 billion
- No. 292, Leidos Holdings, $10.2 billion
- No. 324, Hilton Worldwide, $9.1 billion
- No. 374, DCX Technology, $7.6 billion
- No. 444, NVR Corp., $6.3 billion
- No. 482, Booz Allen Hamilton, $5.8 billion
The District
- No. 21: Fannie Mae, $112.4 billion
- No. 162: Danaher Corp., $18.3 billion
Maryland
- No. 59, Lockheed Martin, $51 billion
- No. 127, Marriott International, $22.9 billion
- No. 409, Discovery Communications, $6.9 billion
Other large Maryland employers in the Washington DC region are:Joint Base Andrews Andrews Air Force Base, MD Over 8,000 military and civilian personnel work at this military installation. Lockheed Martin Bethesda, MD 11,000 employees work for this aerospace and electronics firm. National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD Approximately 20,000 people work at this government agency. Northrop Grumman Falls Church, VA 14,000 employees are employed by this global security company with multiple locations in the DC area.
Other major employers in Virginia suburbs are:George Mason University Fairfax, VA Approximately. 7,000 people are employed by this Virginia state university. MITRE McLean, VA Approximately 4,000 employees work for this non-profit company that focuses on defense and intelligence, aviation, homeland security, and cybersecurity and more. BB&T Falls Church, VA 3,000 employees are employed by this commercial bank. SAIC INC McLean, VA Approximately 3,000 people are employed by this technology-focused federal contractor. Be sure to check out our post on what to expect when moving to the DC area and commuting to the District.
The Bottom Line
The DC-area employment opportunities are plentiful — and growing! From government to corporate; from non-profits to healthcare, there are a variety of places to find solid employment. If you’re considering a move to the Washington, DC area, now is a great time. As always, let us know if we can help you or any of your friends or family who may be moving to the DC area.Buying Form
"*" indicates required fields
Newsletter Signup
"*" indicates required fields
Looking For Additional Resources?
We’ve got you covered. Click the button below to download our lifestyle, real estate, and area guides.
Get Our Guides
